Adenium Plant Care

 

The botanical name of Adenium plants is Adenium obesum and the plant is also known as desert rose. The Adenium plant is a succulent and is a slow-growing plant, only growing about twelve inches per year. The Adenium plants are often used as a bonsai plant thanks to its thick succulent trunk, thin and delicate leaves, and luscious, deep pink trumpeting flowers. The Adenium plant is native to Africa, the Middle East, and Madagascar. This wonderful succulent plant is an indoor or outdoor plant depending on your location. In several tropical and warmer climates (USDA Hardiness zones eleven and twelve), the Adenium plant is a widely-used ornamental outdoor plant, and in cooler zones, the plant is grown indoors.

The Adenium plant is best planted in the spring, and the plant will die if it is exposed to frost and freezing temperatures. The Adenium plant is a member of the dogbane family, the sap of the Adenium plant is toxic to human and pets.

Adenium plant Info

The common name: The common names are desert rose, impala lily, Sabi star, mock azalea.

The botanical name: The botanical name is   Adenium obesum.

The family: The Adenium plants belong to Apocynaceae family.

The plant type: The Adenium plants are succulent plant.

The mature size: The mature size is about three to nine feet tall, three to five feet wide.

The sun exposure: The plant prefers full sun.

The soil type: The Adenium plants does well in sandy, well-drained soil.

The soil pH: Neutral to acidic

The blooming time: The blooming time is summer.

The flower color: The flower colors are pink, red, rose.

USDA hardiness zones: Eleven to twelve.

The native area: The Adenium plants are native to Tropical Africa, Arabian Peninsula.

Plant toxicity: The plant is toxic to humans and pets. 

Different types of Adenium plants

Adenium has many species, one of the most common one is Adenium obesum. The following are some of the other subspecies:

-         The Adenium oleifolium variety: The Adenium oleifolium is native to South Africa and Botswana, this particular species actually grows to about sixteen inches tall with a large tuberous stem, narrow olive green blade-like leaves, and salmon, pink, or pale pink with red tubular flowers.

-         The Adenium socotranum variety: The Adenium socotranum is native to Socotra, an Indian Ocean island between Somalia and Yemen, the Adenium socotranum is actually the largest of the species, rising to fifteen feet tall with an eight foot diameter trunk. The pink flowers are up to five inches in diameter and they appear in spring while the Adenium plant is leafless.

-         The Adenium somalense variety: The Adenium somalense is native to Eastern Africa, the Adenium somalense variety has narrow blade-like leaves and twisting branches. The Adenium somalense matures at sixteen feet tall with a swollen and often twisted trunk. The trumpet-shaped flowers are pink, white, or crimson red.

-         The Adenium swazicum variety: The Adenium swazicum is also known by its common name, summer impala lily. The Adenium swazicum is a dwarf species that usually doesn't get larger than two feet tall; The Adenium swazicum is native to Swaziland and South Africa. The showy flowers are pink to deep reddish-pink.

How to grow Adenium

The following are the main care requirements for growing Adenium plants:

- The Adenium plants needs careful water management and a lot of sunlight to thrive.

- The Adenium plant actually prefers consistently warm temperatures.

- The Adenium plants likes well-draining, sandy soil.

Light requirement

The Adenium plants thrive in a full sun environment. Make sure you choose a spot in your home where the plant can receive sufficient light throughout the day, like a southern-facing bright windowsill or sunroom. If you actually live in an area where the Adenium plants can be grown successfully outdoors, the best place to plant the Adenium plants is in a spot that is not actually shaded by taller plants but has some protection from high-noon sun, which can scorch the Adenium plant's leaves.

Soil requirement

The Adenium plants are acclimated to naturally dry, desert-like conditions, meaning well-draining sandy or gravelly cactus soil. The soil for planting should have a neutral to acidic pH, if possible hovering right around 6.0.

Water requirement

The Adenium plants have varying water requirements depending on the time of year and temperature. During the plants growing season (late spring and summer), keep the plant soil moist but never saturated. Make sure you check on the soil periodically and allow the soil to dry out completely before watering. Also, plant your Adenium plants in a container that has ample drainage holes. The Adenium plants can be susceptible to rot if the plant becomes too moist (a good clay or terra cotta pot can also help with wicking away excess moisture). 

Furthermore, in the fall and winter months (when the Adenium plants typically goes dormant in the wild); you can reduce moisture, watering only minimally once a month or so. If you're curious that your Adenium plant is receiving enough water during its growing season, you can look at the plant trunk for the answer. A swollen, thick trunk (in proportion to the size of your Adenium plant) is a great indication that your Adenium plant is well-hydrated. 

Temperature and humidity requirement

Make sure you keep your Adenium plant in warm temperatures at all times, the Adenium plant will die quickly if exposed to prolonged temperatures cooler than fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Adenium plants thrive best at temperatures between sixty-five and ninety degrees Fahrenheit. If you've planted your Adenium plant outdoors, the plant will not likely survive any prolonged frost. Humidity is not actually important to the Adenium plants because the plant is accustomed to a dry, hot climate.  

Fertilizer requirement

Actually, for an added dose of nutrients to the plant (and potentially more flowers), you can feed your Adenium plants with liquid fertilizer (diluted by half) once a month during the plant active growth period. Do not fertilize the Adenium plants during the plant dormant period.

Pruning Adenium plants

Before you plan to prune your Adenium plants, make sure you use a bleach solution to sterilize your pruning tools; also re-sterilize your pruning tools as you move from one plant to the next. You can remove the cold-damaged growth of the plant as soon as the new growth emerges. You can trim the long, lanky stems to balance the stem growth symmetrically. You can also remove the branches that rub or cross other branches, cutting them just above the leaf node or where the stem joins with another stem.  

Propagating Adenium plant

The Adenium plant can be grown from branch cuttings and seeds. If actually you grow the Adenium plant from a branch cutting, the next Adenium plant might not have a characteristic bulbous trunk that it would if you propagate from seed. The following is how to propagate Adenium plant from a stem cutting: 

Before you can get started with the process, you will actually need these items: sterilized pruners, garden gloves, a clean pot, rooting hormone, and a well-draining potting mix.

- You need to put on the garden gloves to avoid the toxic sap of this plant touching your skin. Use your pruning snips and take a five to six inch cutting from the tip of the plant branch.

- You need to allow the cutting to dry out for a day or 2.

- You need to wet the cut end and dip it in rooting hormone.

- Then you need to plant the cut end into a well-draining growing medium like perlite or sand mixed with potting soil.

- You need to water the cutting daily; also make sure the water drains out of the soil. The cutting will take root in about 2 to 6 weeks.

- After 6 weeks of planting the cutting you will notice a new growth, or if you try to tug at the plant stem gently, it should feel rooted in place.

How to Grow Adenium Plant From Seed

Actually the best time to sow Adenium plant seeds is in the spring.

You need to get a well-draining potting mix with perlite or you can use a sand and soil mix. You can soak the Adenium plant seeds in advance for some hours or up to a day to rehydrate seeds.

Place one Adenium plant seed every two inches onto the growing medium. Make sure you cover lightly with a thin layer of soil mix.

You need to water the plant thoroughly and also keep the plants in a warm location. Only water the soil once the soil begins to dry out. You can also mist the soil or water the pot from below, but don’t allow the soil to become waterlogged.

Once the Adenium plant seedlings sprout, which is usually in a week to ten days you can move the pot to a sunny spot.

Potting and Repotting Adenium plant

You can repot the Adenium plant as needed, usually when the plant roots fill the pot and the Adenium plant becomes root-bound. This can actually be done once a year or every other year. If you don’t want your Adenium plant to grow much larger, you can keep the plant in its current pot. Actually keeping a plant root bound can slow down its growth. The best time for repotting Adenium plant is in the late winter or early spring, if possible as soon as the new growth emerges.

When repotting Adenium plant, you need to make sure the soil is completely dry before gently removing the Adenium plant from the container. You have to knock away the old soil from the plant roots and then remove any rotted or dead roots in the process. If you make any cuts or notice bruises on the plant you can easily apply a fungicide or antibacterial solution on the plant.

You can place the Adenium plant in its new container and then backfill with potting mix, spreading the plant roots out as you repot. Let the Adenium plant dry for about a week or so to reduce the shock to the Adenium plant. After a week you can water the Adenium plant but make sure water drains thoroughly. Make sure you don’t let the Adenium plant sit in standing water or soggy soil. 

Pest and disease control

Pest and diseases also attack the Adenium plants. The following are some of the pest and disease that attack the Adenium plants:

-         Adenium root rot: Actually this rot will start below the soil level. If the disease affects the main tap root it will manifest itself with the same symptoms as caudex rot, although only the side-root is affected and it is seen only when the Adenium plant is being re-potted or bare-rooted for export, or when it has progressed to a point of no return. A lot of treatments are available on the market (anti-rot) that can be used to help prevent the problem occurring; however, if good drainage and hygiene is provided for the Adenium plant, there is far less opportunity for it to happen to the Adenium plant.

-         caterpillars on Adenium plant: When the Adenium plants are in full growth in the warmer months of the year, these dreadful hungry caterpillars always arrive. Butterflies lay their eggs everywhere around the Adenium plant and it is not always that easy to squash them all, you may actually need to use a pesticide to get them under control. Whether you do or you don’t use a spray, it is always good to see butterflies in the garden, even if you hate the caterpillars.

-         Aphids on Adenium plant: Aphids are very small sap-sucking insects and they are usually only around the Adenium plant during humid conditions in the growing season. You can treat the plant with a pesticide by spraying under the plant leaves. Again, if the best growing conditions are provided for the Adenium plants, e.g. plenty of sun, airflow around and under the pots, there is actually less opportunity for the Aphids to hide and breed.

-         Stink Bugs on Adenium plant: There are actually many thousands of different Stink Bugs species worldwide. Stink Bugs look harmless enough but if you actually want your Adenium plants to set seed, you don’t want Stink Bugs around. Stink Bugs actually feast on the immature Adenium seeds inside the pods and the Adenium seeds will be destroyed. You can easily spray with a pesticide.

-         MealyBugs on Adenium plant: Actually MealyBugs are the fluffy white bugs that appear and attack the Adenium plant by sucking the nutrients from the Adenium plant stem. The Adenium plant will actually suffer deformed growth when left unattended. You can easily remove the areas under attack (prune) and then spray the Adenium plant with a pesticide.